2025 Spanish Grand Prix: Preview

Hinwil, 27 May 2025 – KICK Sauber F1 Team heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the third and final leg of the European triple header, the Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona has become one of the most visited stops on the calendar – as it has been frequently used for testing over the years – a venue where both teams and drivers are familiar with the demands of the weekend.

Coming into the weekend, the team is aiming to make the most of a new upgrade package. Developed to address the performance challenges surfacing from the first part of the season, the upgrade work on C45 is key to the team finding a more consistent performance heading into the summer races.

 

Team Quotes

Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal: “Barcelona marks a return to competitive racing at a circuit where aero performance is paramount, so we should see the impact of the new front wing regulations. Monaco was always going to be dominated by the lack of overtaking opportunities which allowed some teams to entirely mitigate the normal pit stop losses. Barcelona should give us a clear picture of how our new upgrade package will affect our competitiveness. The team has been working hard back home in Hinwil and our focus is on getting familiar with the new parts with a view to putting ourselves in a more consistently competitive position heading into the next phase of the season.”

Nico Hulkenberg (car number 27): “Barcelona is a track we all know well, it's probably the circuit where I've done the most laps in an F1 car. That helps when preparing for the weekend ahead. We are bringing a new package here, and the key will be to understand how it performs early during practice and make the most of it. We have shown some improvements in pace recently, although challenges remain. If we can put together a strong qualifying, it will give us a better chance to improve during the race. Recent races in Barcelona have shown that the improved track layout fosters eventful racing.”

Gabriel Bortoleto (car number 5): “I’m looking forward to Barcelona: it’s a track I have raced on a few times already in junior categories, and I know what to expect from it. Monaco was a rather challenging one, but we have taken the lessons from the weekend and moved onto a new race week – the last one of a busy triple header. We have got some upgrades coming for this round, so the focus will be on getting familiar with them right away, while keep working on the car and its set-up, in order to improve our qualifying and race position.”